Why we long for the sea: The power of nostalgic places

Nostalgia often centers on places near water, according to a new study. The researchers found that people are more likely to feel nostalgic about coastlines, lakes, and rivers than about forests, mountains, or farmland.

Dr. Elisabeta Militaru led the study during while earning her in the Psychology Department at the University of Cambridge.

Seaside locations made up over 25 percent of nostalgic places reported by UK participants. In the United States, that figure was 20 percent. The totals rose to 35 and 30 percent, respectively, when lakes and rivers were included.

By contrast, only about 10 percent of responses mentioned agricultural areas, forests, or mountains. Urban places made up just over 20 percent in both countries.

Mapping nostalgic places

To help visualize their findings, the team created maps showing where participants’ most nostalgic places were located. While not statistically representative, the maps give a vivid snapshot of the emotional geography of each country.

In the UK, people most often mentioned spots in Cornwall and Devon, known for their dramatic coastlines. North Yorkshire also ranked high, likely due to its unique combination of ocean views and the green hills of the Yorkshire Dales.

In the United States, California and Florida came out on top. Both states are known for their beach destinations. New York also stood out – not just for its natural parks but for the emotional pull of places like New York City.

The emotional pull of water

The scientists set out to better understand what makes some places more likely to stick with us emotionally. They looked at both the physical and psychological traits of these locations.

Each participant was asked to describe a place they felt nostalgic about and explain why.

“We expected people to be more often nostalgic for green places since so many studies emphasize the psychological benefits of green, natural environments. We were surprised to find that blue places are the hallmark feature of place nostalgia,” said Dr. Militaru.

“Our findings add to the growing evidence that blue places are associated with increased psychological well-being.”

Key features of nostalgic places

Participants frequently used words like “beautiful,” “aesthetic,” and “views” to describe their most nostalgic places.

Past studies by the same team have shown that brightness, color saturation, and contrast influence our emotional responses to a place. Locations by water tend to score high on all three of those factors.

Another feature may be what scientists call “fractal properties” – patterns that repeat in nature. Coastlines often strike the right balance of visual complexity.

According to Dr. Militaru, past research suggests that landscapes with moderate fractal structure, like coastlines, tend to generate positive emotions.

“People don’t like extremely chaotic outlines of the kind you might see in the middle of the forest, where you don’t get a sense of openness. People also don’t like too little complexity. With an urban skyline, for instance, there are very few breaks in the scene’s pattern,” noted Dr. Militaru.

“Seaside, rivers and lakes may give us the optimal visual complexity, but more work is needed to fully understand this.”

Emotionally charged experiences

While natural places dominated the results, cities still held a strong emotional pull for many participants.

“It’s important to note that urban places are more often classed as being ‘ordinary’ than nostalgia-inducing,” said Dr. Militaru.

So why did they still show up so often? The researchers think it may be tied to how many people live in cities – and to the power of one-off, emotionally charged experiences.

“We are particularly nostalgic about memorable one-time experiences and about unique places which we have visited. Holidays, including trips to cities, can leave a deep emotional imprint,” explained Dr. Militaru.

Why nostalgia matters

The emotional benefits of nostalgia are no longer in doubt. “Back in the 17th century, nostalgia had a negative reputation, it was regarded as a disease of the mind,” said Dr. Militaru.

“Scientific investigation changed that. Now we know that nostalgia is a psychological resource; it emerges when we are faced with psychological discomfort, like feeling lonely or socially excluded. Emerging research finds that nostalgia can also have a positive role in caring for people with dementia.”

Thinking about a nostalgic place does more than just feel good. It can increase your sense of meaning and connection, raise self-esteem, and even help you feel more authentic.

“Nostalgia brings places into focus, much like a magnifying glass. Meaningful places tend to be physically far away from us, yet nostalgia brings them back into focus and, in so doing, connects our past self to our present and future self,” Dr. Militaru explained.

Designing places with nostalgia in mind

The findings have practical implications. Dr. Militaru believes that remembering nostalgic places could help guide conservation and urban planning.

“Our research suggests that access to coasts, rivers, parks, and natural landscapes should be prioritized, especially in dense urban areas.”

Focusing on nostalgia might also help city planners and communities work together to protect smaller, locally meaningful places.

“Communities need to be involved in urban planning decisions implemented in their neighborhoods. Only then can we identify the local landmarks that need to be preserved,” noted Dr. Militaru.

The message is clear: the places we carry in our hearts often have water in the frame – and nostalgia might be more than a feeling. It could be a map to the kind of environments that make us feel most alive.

The full study was published in the journal Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology.

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